The Digital Communications Program explores the interrelated elements of communication, business, design, and computer science in a setting that emphasized user-centered design and usability testing. The program fosters critical reasoning, creativity, innovation, and problem solving so that graduates have the ability to evolve as quickly as current technology, Rather than focusing on specific applications and technologies, students in the program will complete advanced coursework in one of the four areas to form a concentration in business technology, communications, programming, design, user experience, or video. The General Education Program at the College, together with the courses in the student's concentration, will expose students to the fundamental questions of how information is created, processed, understood, and communicated.
Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Science with a major in Digital Communications
Major core requirements:
DCOM 130 Principles of Informat. Design| This class surveys the principles and practices of information design, information architecture, and interaction design. Students will learn and practice human-centered design methods (research/observation, design, prototyping, and usability testing) in designing meaningful and effective interfaces in which users interact with information. 3 credits. |
| The course emphasizes planning, conducting, and analyzing usability tests. The course will teach the basic concepts of usability research and the practice of usability testing in a lab setting. Using the principles and techniques of usability testing, students will research the effectiveness of online and print documents, and physical objects, using video and digital equipment, with emphasis on rhetorical effectiveness and usability of information design and architecture, graphics, text, design, and format. 3 credits. |
| An introduction to the fundamental elements of design. Students work with graphic symbols, theories of visual perception, principles of composition, and color interaction in a variety of studio projects. The emphasis of the course will be placed on the design process as students develop their ability to communicate their ideas through the use of traditional and electronic media. This course will introduce students to Adobe Photoshop. 3 credits. |
| The course will focus on blending the creative and technical aspects of developing electronic images and layouts. Students will apply traditional design methods and techniques to the electronic canvas. Additionally, the course will serve to familiarize students with industry standard software and procedures for producing creative work for a variety of media. Work will be produced in the latest version of Adobe InDesign & Illustrator. Prereq: DCOM 150. Prerequisite: DCOM 150 or by permission of the instructor. 3 credits. |
| This course will cover the use of the Adobe Dreamweaver software, HTML5, CSS3, and basic JavaScript to create functioning web sites. The course will enable students to incorporate critical thinking skills and integrate web-based principals to develop hands-on projects. The course will be conducted through lectures, readings, tests, and assignments. 3 credits. |
| An exploration of the important technologies related to doing business on the Internet. Topics include e-commerce, advertising, customer support, and business-to-business applications. Emphasis on how businesses implement these technologies, resource requirements, cost-to-benefit analysis. 3 credits. |
| An exploration of the way businesses utilize technology to operate effectively. The course will focus on how businesses generate, manage, store, and distribute information that is key to performance of business objectives. Topics will include Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Supply Chain Management (SCM), e-Marketing, and Business Intelligence. Prerequisites: DCOM 260, or by permission of the instructor. 3 credits. |
| This course is designed to teach the fundamentals for creating dynamic Web sites using JavaScript. With a basic understanding of the Web page layout and design process, the student will learn the basic workflows of web development and learn how to use JavaScript to create effective and interactive web pages. Prerequisite: DCOM 170. 3 credits. |
| This course is designed to teach the fundamentals of databases and how they might be used to create dynamic and data driven Web pages. With an understanding of the Web page layout and design process, the student will learn the basics of industry standard languages for accessing databases (such as PHP, Ajax or MySQL)and use these languages to design and develop dataOdriven sites and networked applications. Prerequisite: DCOM 270. 3 credits. |
| Technical communications requires students understand the basics of the human-centered designprocess, while focusing primarily on the use of writing and video to clearly and precisely communicate ideas. Students will develop copy and content appropriate to a given audience, client needs and goals, and context. The course will emphasize iterative design, prototyping and usability testing of acts of persuasive and informative writing. Fulfills general education requirement: Writing Process. Prerequisite: DCOM 130 and DCOM 131, or by permission of the instructor. 3 credits. |
| This class will explore the essential concepts of storytelling across different media and how to integrate these different narratives from different media in a single, immersive, unified multimedia artifact. Students will study and create compelling, effective stories in print, imagery, video/film and how best to integrate these different stories for the web/mobile. Because most digital media production takes place in group environments, this class will also emphasize group work, collaboration and project management in the design and development process. Students will rely on usability testing to refine their projects. This course will emphasize creativity, teamwork, attention to detail, and finely honed storytelling skills. Prerequisite: DCOM 280. Corequisite: DCOM 300. 3 credits. |
| Portfolio: A formal collection of the student's completed work to be presented before the DigiCOM faculty and students as part of the student's formal request to take DCOM 400 (Internship). The portfolio must be both in print and in an appropriate digital form, include a resume, and contain examples of the student's work in both their chosen concentration and the core. Typically taken during the spring semester of sophomore year. Graded pass/fail. Prerequisites: DCOM 130, 131, 151, 260, 261, 270, 271, 280 and 281, or permission of the instructor. Corequisites: DCOM 261, 271 and 281. 0 credits. |
| This course will examine the legal issues arising from the information age. Topics such as copyright, patent, privacy, security, libel, liability, and government regulation will be explored. Particular emphasis will be placed on how these issues impact the fields of communications, media and other technologies. Students who have completed BUS 371 cannot take this course for credit. 3 credits. |
DCOM 400
DCOM 410 Capstone Project Management| This capstone course teaches the theory and application of planning projects in the field of digital communications. The course covers principles of project management, research, and project strategy. Additionally, topics of professionalism, client interface, modes of communication, and collaborative group theory and practice are explored. 3 credits. |
| This course is a practicum class where students work on a project for external clients. This course simulates the collaborative and interdisciplinary environment of the field of digital communications and emphasizes usability testing in the identification of a problem, in formative testing and prototyping of potential design ideas and summative testing of the final project. The course takes the integrative theory and skills from the four areas of concentration (visual, content, commercial, and technological) and builds upon the theory and application explored in the first Capstone course to develop a multi-disciplinary team of students to deliver an appropriate project. 3 credits. |
In addition to the core, each major must complete one of the following 12-credit concentrations. With the exception of the programming concentration and subject to the approval of the advisor, one course may be taken outside of the concentration and/or department.